The Wheels of Change
by SunnyInOregon
Summary: Dave sees Penelope holding a baby and has an unusual (for him) reaction. Minor spoilers for Season 8 – The Wheels on the Bus Part of the Through the Years series. Others in the series include Secrets and Fishing With Dave. This is a standalone story, you do not need to read the others.


**Monday**

Penelope sits in the break room. In her arms, she holds a blanket wrapped baby whom is sound asleep.

"They are so sweet at that age," Blake says softly.

JJ smiles as she watches her best friend gently rock the little bundle in her arms. "How long are you watching her?"

"Just until Monica finishes her fitness test," Penelope replies. She kisses the baby's forehead.

"Does Dave know," JJ asks.

Penelope snorts. "What do you think? He'd be freaking out if he saw me with a baby."

"Get ready for a freak out," Blake says lowly. She and JJ move across the room to the refrigerator as Dave walks into the area.

He nods at them then glances at Penelope before grabbing the coffee pot. He freezes, coffee pot in one hand and mug in the other. Slowly, he turns and looks at his wife.

"What is that," Dave asks cautiously.

Pen bounces the baby in her arms and smirks. "It's a girl."

"A girl, what," he asks.

She rolls her eyes. "A girl baby. Yes, before you ask, a human baby."

Dave swivels away from her, places the coffee pot on the burner and sets the mug down before turning back. "Why do you have it?"

"Her," she replies defensively. "I'm babysitting for an hour."

He stands there, mouth moving but no words coming out. She looks at him and shakes her head.

"Go away," she growls at him.

He looks at her for another second before heading towards his office. She rolls her eyes at his back then looks at the two women standing in the corner of the kitchen.

"That was a truly touching family moment," Blake says causing the other two women to laugh.

Dave hustles across the bullpen and up the ramp as if his life depends on it. He rushes into Hotch's office without knocking, closes the door with a thump and begins to pace.

"This isn't good," Dave mumbles mostly to himself.

Aaron watches with a weary and all-knowing eye. He doesn't even have to ask he just knows that this is about Penelope. "What happened?"

Dave stops. Wild-eyed he looks at Hotch. "She has a baby," he whispers.

Aaron peers out the window. He can't see Penelope, but he knows she out there somewhere. "For keeps?"

Dave resumes pacing across the floor. "For an hour," he replies absently.

Aaron laughs.

"Don't laugh," Dave growls. "This is serious. You know what this means. This means she's going to be talking about having one of our own."

Hotch sighs. "Don't you think it's time you seriously decide if you are having a baby with her or not?"

"This is not the time," Dave says.

"When is the time," Aaron asks seriously.

Dave stops pacing. He takes in the serious look on Aaron's face. "Not now?"

Aaron frowns. "Have you looked in a mirror lately? You're not getting any younger…and neither is she. Her time is running out. Are you being fair to her?"

Dave makes a face at him. "She knew how I felt about having kids when we married."

"And you knew how she felt," Hotch shoots back.

Dave crosses the room and flops into a chair. "God, I hate you!"

"Right back at you," Aaron murmurs. He picks up the file from his desk and waves it at Dave. "If that's all, I have actual work to do."

"Fine," Dave huffs. He stands and stomps out of the room, leaving the door open behind him.

The team caught a case that afternoon. Dave watched in silent horror as the news of a school bus full of kids had been hijacked. Grateful that he was in the field and not actually talking to the distraught parents, he buried himself in the case.

He was further horrified to discover that the unsubs responsible for this tragedy were two kids playing a real-life version of a video game that he himself played with his nephew, James David.

He lost himself in his thoughts until, late in the night, he met up with Penelope at the elevators and they headed home together to relax with a glass of bourbon and the soothing sounds of Tony Bennett. He made a mental note to talk to all of his nieces and nephews about how video games were not and should not be considered an example of real life.

The room is dark, moonlight streams through a crack in the window shade. Pen, sound asleep, lays on her side facing Dave. He lays on his back, eyes open, staring at the ceiling. Pen wakes and sees he is awake. She places her hand on his chest. Dave looks at her hand, takes it in his and kisses it then holds her hand to his chest again as he stares at the ceiling.

"Hey, are you okay," she asks softly.

He raises an eyebrow and looks at her. "I'm fine."

"You sure," she presses.

"Yeah," he replies softly. "I'm just thinking."

"Wanna share?"

"I'm thinking about those kids on the bus today. I'm thinking about how terrified their parents had to have been," he shares. He pauses and she waits for him to continue. "When I was a kid, you sent your children to school knowing it was a safe place for them to be. A place of learning and socializing. You didn't have to worry about school shooters and pedophiles and wackos hijacking the school bus. Your biggest worry was, is little Johnny gonna pass fifth grade or get held back for a year. It's a scary time to be a parent."

"Life is scary," she agrees. "That's why there are people like you and me, who do what we do, to keep children – and parents safe."

"I know," he says quietly. "I just don't know how other people do it."

She studies his face in the soft glow of the moonlight. "What else is on your mind?"

He smiles at her and shifts on the bed, rolling her on her back as he looms over her. "You," he whispers against her lips.

They kiss deeply as he slides between her knees. He trails kisses over her jaw and down her neck. She wraps her arms around him and pulls him close. They make out for a while before he slides inside her and they make love slowly in the moonlit night.

It's a gentle coming together of two people in love. An affirmation of love and life its self. When they finish, Penelope snuggles into his side, her head on his shoulder, one hand on his hip. Dave wraps an arm around her holding her close as she falls asleep. He closes his eyes and takes a deep even breath. Opening his eyes, he resumes staring at the ceiling.

**Late Tuesday afternoon**

The team sits in the briefing room reviewing cases. A small pile of folders in front of each team member. Aaron stands at the head of the table, Penelope to his right and Dave next to her. To Aaron's left is JJ, then Morgan, Blake and Reid sits between her and Dave.

"Lets get these consults finished before the end of day today," Aaron says to the room at large.

A collective groan emanates from the team, except Reid. He flips through his pile excitedly. "Not a problem, my class got rescheduled to Thursday. Apparently, they painted in there and forgot about the fumes. One of the workers had to go to the hospital."

"Oh, I hope they are alright," Blake interjected.

"Speaking of Doctors," Dave cut in. He looks up at Hotch, ignoring the look his wife gives him. "I'll be late on Thursday. I have an appointment at nine."

"You don't have a doctor's appointment on Thursday," Penelope frowns.

"I do," Dave says, not looking at her. "I scheduled it this morning."

He missed the frown deepening on Aaron's face as well. The others shared looks of confusion.

Penelope's frown turns to worry. "What for? What's the matter?"

Dave looks at her and smiles. "Nothing. It's just a check-up."

"Thanks for letting me know," Aaron states. Dave looks up at him and nods. Penelope starts to fret.

"Let's get to work, people," Aaron orders dismissing the team.

They gather their things and file out of the room. Penelope follows Dave to his office. He sets his things on the desk and turns to her as she closes the door.

"Why do you need to see the doctor," she demands.

"It's just a check-up, Kitten."

"You had a check-up two months ago," she points out. "Are you feeling okay? Does this have anything to do with you not sleeping?"

She puts her hand on his forehead. Dave sighs and pulls her into his arms.

He kisses her.

"I'm fine," he says patiently. "It's just a routine doctor visit."

Pen stares at him with disbelieving eyes.

"I swear, I'm not sick. Okay?"

She stares a few more seconds then sighs. "You'll tell me if something's wrong?"

He nods. "If I ever get sick you will be the first to know. I promise."

**Thursday**

It's 915am, Pen sits in Dave's chair in his office. She stares at the picture of their wedding day which sits on his desk. For better or for worse, in sickness and in health they had vowed to be together. She sucks in a shaky breath. Their relationship had been full of ups and downs. When they first met, she was immediately smitten, but had believed that he was only looking for a fling. It had taken several months, a few misunderstandings and a confession from him for her to realize that he truly cared for her and wanted to be more than a fling.

Every day she woke and wondered how she had gotten so lucky to be his wife, his life partner. Their relationship was the longest either one of them had ever been in. The thought of losing him now made her heart constrict. If something happened to Dave, she wasn't sure how she would survive.

She propelled herself out of the chair and rushed over to Hotchs office. She flew in without knocking and slammed the door closed, then began to pace in the exact same manner as Dave.

Aaron glanced up, sighed, and returned to his paperwork.

Penelope continued to pace.

"Aaron, what am I going to do?"

"Pace in your own office," he replied without looking up. "Or Dave's."

"Do you know what's going on? Why did he need to see the doctor again so soon?"

"I honestly don't know. I was just as surprised as you when he mentioned it," he disclosed.

She stopped pacing and turned to look at him. "Aaron," she whispered tears on her cheeks.

It took him a tenth of a second to realize that she kept calling him Aaron. She always called him Hotch at the office, just like she called her husband Rossi. He looked up and took in her appearance, realizing it was Penelope – the wife of his best friend, standing in his office and not Garcia, the tech analyst. He sprung from the chair and rounded the desk stopping at her side in three strides. He pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay," he said softly. "If it was serious, I would know."

"Are you sure," she cried. Tears flowing freely from her eyes. She soaked the shoulder of his jacket.

"Of course, I'm sure," He held her out from him and looked in her eyes. "If one of my agents were ill, the doctors are required to let me know. And if I knew, then you would know too. Dave doesn't keep secrets from you. From me, yes. But not from you."

She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay."

He hugged her again and rubbed her back.

"Thank you."

He gave her a squeeze. "You're not the only one who needed reassurance you know."

She stepped back and looked at him with a frown.

He gave her a rare smile. "I double checked his last medical reports, just to be certain."

She laughed. "Don't tell him that. He'll be pissed."

"Not a word from me," he promised.

**At the Doctors**

Dave buttoned his shirt as the doctor scribbled some notes in the file.

"You're just as fit as the last time you were here, David. What's going on?"

Dave sighed and leaned back against the exam table. "I'm thinking about becoming a Dad."

"All by yourself?" the doctor joked.

Dave gave her a mock glare. "You know I have a wife."

Dr. Lisa Rivera smiled and set the file on the counter. "I know your wife quite well. How is the beautiful Penelope and why isn't she here?"

"She's fine," he grumbled. He studied the tile on the floor. "She doesn't know that we're getting pregnant. I'm not completely convinced about it."

Dr. Rivera sobered up and put on her "I'm listening" face. "What's bothering you?"

He looked up and focused on a spot on the wall to the left of her head, for a moment. He took a deep breath, let it out then jumped up on the exam table. "My first wife and I had a baby. His name was James. He died a few hours after he was born. The doctor said there was something wrong with his heart, and I… I just -"

His voice trailed off as his mind focused on the memories. Painful memories that still lingered.

Dr. Rivera placed a hand on his knee, bringing his focus back to her. "It sounds like he probably had a congenital heart condition."

Dave nods. "It was some sort of genetic issue."

"That's pretty rare, you know," she said reassuringly. "The odds of that happening again for the same couple are minimal. And since you have a new partner, and an amazing doctor, the likelihood of that happening again would be even less likely."

"Are you certain," he asked.

She smiled. "Medicine has come a long way since then. You know that. You're a smart man, David Rossi. Stop letting your twenty-something heart get in the way of your sixty-something happiness."

He groaned. "Did you have to mention my age?"

Her smile widened to a grin. "You are the healthiest sixty-year old I have ever had the pleasure of doctoring."

He laughed. "Thanks, Doc. I appreciate it."

Dave walked into the bullpen and headed to his office aware that every eye in the place was on him. He sighed inwardly and rolled his eyes. Most likely his wife had been driving everyone crazy as she wondered if he was dying. He considered briefly heading to her office directly then realized that she was already waiting for him in his.

He stopped in the doorway and raised an eyebrow. Penelope had taken over his desk with 3 laptops, a pile of folders and her array of toys and pens.

"Have I been evicted," he asks quietly.

She looks up at him and blinks. She inspects him closely. "What?"

He waves a hand at her. "Are you here permanently?"

"Should I be," she asks in return.

They share a look for a moment. Dave waves for her to follow him as he turns and walks over to his couch. She rises from the chair and follows him at a slower pace. Dave turns around expecting her to be right behind him. He gives her a patient and loving look. He reaches out as she gets closer, takes her hand, and pulls her to him.

"I promise, you have nothing to be worried about," he whispers before kissing her.

He sits on the couch and tugs her down next to him.

"I can't help but worry," she tells him. "You weren't sleeping and then you make an unexpected visit to the doctors. What am I supposed to think?"

He kisses her temple. "I can understand why you would be upset. I'm sorry I worried you."

She cups his jaw in her hand, caressing her fingertips over the stubble on his cheek. "What's going on?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately."

"About…"

He twists his head and kisses her wrist. "About me. And you. About the past and the future. I think it's time, Kitten."

"Time for what?"

Dave looks away for a moment then back at her. "For us to have a baby."

"A baby, what?" she asks repeating his question from earlier in the week.

Dave smiles. "A baby us. A little blond-haired, sassy mouthed little girl would be nice."

Pen leans back and gives him a questioning look. "Seriously?"

He nods. Her eyes tear up and suddenly she shrieks and jumps into his arms. She kisses him over and over.

She sits back, eyes wide. "What if we have a little boy?"

Dave shakes his head. "It doesn't matter to me. Though it might be nice if they know sign language as I may be deaf now."

She slides onto his lap and kisses him. She wraps her arms around him. He grabs her hips and pulls her closer.

"Is everything okay in here," Aaron asks from the doorway. "We heard a shriek."

"Dave and I are going to make a baby," Penelope tells him excitedly.

Aaron frowns. "Not in here, I hope."

Dave chuckles. "That could be fun."

"Not for the rest of us," Aaron points out.

"I'm so excited," Penelope giggles. She kisses Dave again. "I'm going to tell the others."

She bounces off his lap and skips out of the office.

"I'm happy for you," Aaron says softly. "I hope it happens soon."

Dave rises from the couch. "With Penelope? You know, she's going to wear me out with all the trying we are about to do."

Aaron smirks as they walk out of Dave's office and lean on the railing. "The wheels of change are turning."

They watch as Penelope receives hugs from the members of the team, her face glowing.

"Yes, they are," Dave agrees.

~finis~


End file.
